Electrocoagulation-bougie For The Intrauterine Tube Sterilization

Abstract

The object of the invention is an electrocoagulation-bougie for the intrauterine sterilization of the tube, the bougie consisting of a hysteroscope and an electric conductor section emitting joulean heat, the conductor being installed at the bougie's free end protruding from the upper end of the hysteroscope so that a radial heat radiation is obtained for the destruction of tissue pieces in the field of the section emitting joulean heat without hurting sound tissue pieces.

Description

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Reference is had to applicant's co-pending application Ser. No. 339,011 filed Mar. 7, 1973.

The invention relates to an electrocoagulation-bougie for the intrauterine tube sterilization. Intrauterine sterilization of the tube by means of heat radiation is known. The devices used are, however, not appropriate to generate a punctiform heat radiation to irradiate only the tissue piece which is to be eliminated. During irradiation, admission of heat respectively, the field surrounding the tissue piece which is to be eliminated is equally reached and destroyed so that lesions caused by heat occur frequently.

It is an object of the invention to construct a bougie with which the elimination of specific tissue pieces is made possible without hurting the surrounding tissue fields. As a solution to this task an electrocoagulation-bougie for intrauterine sterilization is suggested which is characterized by a hysteroscope constructed in a manner known per se and including, in the interior of its insulated tubular shaft a filamentary conductor having an elongated piece protruding from the upper end of the shaft, said piece having between two insulated sections a non-insulated section emitting joulean heat.

The object of the invention is shown in the drawing as follows:

FIG. 1 shows a hysteroscope introduced into the uterus and being equipped with an electrocoagulation-bougie, partly as an elevation, partly as a vertical section, and

FIG. 2 is a magnified illustration of the free end of the electrocoagulation-bougie given as a perspective view.

FIG. 1 shows a hysteroscope 10 designed in a manner known per se and consisting, in the main, of a tubular shaft 11 having a lateral inlet at 12 for an electrocoagulation-bougie 13. The hysteroscope 10 moreover reveals a cap-formed connection body 14 which is, in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, set upon the os uteri 21 of a uterus shown at 20 and comprising the two oviducts 22, 23. The shaft 11 of the hysteroscope is, together with the piece lying above the set-up body 14, introduced into the uterus 20 up to the zone of the uterine fundus 25.

At its upper end the shaft 11 of the hysteroscope 10 disposes of an aperture 15 through which the prolonged end 13a of the electrocoagulation-bougie 13 is taken out. The electrocoagulation-bougie 13 consists of an insulated conductor whose prolonged end 13a which protrudes from the shaft 11 of the hysteroscope 10 reveals a section 13c emitting joulean heat and being disposed between two insulated sections 13b and 13d. The insulated section 13d represents the end of the prolonged piece 13a of the electrocoagulation-bougie 13 and is formed like a cap (FIG. 2).

By the fact that the part of the conductor which is taken out of the hysteroscope 10 has got only one section 13c which is emitting joulean heat, it is possible to heat a zone in the intra-uterine field of the oviduct of the uterus.

The filamentary conductor 13 which is arranged in the shaft 11 of the hysteroscope forms, during the operation of the electrocoagulation-bougie, one of the poles of the conductor, whereas the human body itself forms the other pole. It is, however, equally possible to arrange in the interior of the shaft 11 of the hysteroscope 10 two filamentary conductors which are insulated against each other and whose free ends taken out through the upper end of the shaft 11 are connected via a section of the conductor of high resistance through which the joulean heat is emitted. Lamellar contact plates with vaporized filamentary conductors can equally be used. The temperature of the heat emitted by the electrocoagulation-bougie can be controlled by a series resistor.

The special advantage of the electrocoagulation-bougie constructed according to the invention consists in that a radial field emitting joulean heat is formed at the end of the bougie so that sterilization is made possible by irradiating specific parts of the tissue. By the fact that the free end 13d of the electrocoagulation-bougie which joins the joulean heat emitting section 13c has an exterior envelope of insulating material, healthy parts of the tissue are not damaged and frontal irradiation is avoided.

In order to be able to control the temperature in the field of section 13c of the bougie there exists the possibility to use a high-temperature conductor shown by No. 30 in FIG. 2 which can be used for measuring, regulating and controlling. The high-temperature conductor 30 is connected to a control and regulating device given at 31 and 32 in which the temperature measured at the place where the heat is emitted is stored and used for controlling the electric voltage for the bougie. The high-temperature conductor 30 can exist in form of a filamentary semi-conductor which is specially arranged in the interior of the shaft 11, or the bougie 13 itself can be used as high-temperature conductor.

Claims

I claim:

1. An electro-coagulation bougie for intra-uterine tube sterilization, comprising a hysteroscope having a tubular shaft, an electrically conductive probe part extending from one end of said hysteroscope for providing Joulean heat radiation, two spaced apart insulating layers on said probe with the surface of said probe therebetween free of insulation whereby said Joulean heat is localized away from the end of said probe, and connecting means for making an electrical connection to said probe through said hysteroscope whereby said Joulean heat can be generated by a voltage potential difference between said probe and a portion of tissue.

2. The electro-coagulation bougie for intra-uterine tube sterilization as claimed in claim 1, wherein said connecting means comprises temperature sensing means for sensing the temperature in the vicinity of said probe.